Unlimited Possibilities: Disability and Science Fiction Expo

Unlimited Possibilities: Disability and Science Fiction Expo

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Unlimited Possibilities: Disability and Science Fiction

3D printing, robotics and brainwave music. Sounds like science fiction? Not any more…

Find out for yourself at this exciting interactive expo celebrating the International Day of People with Disability. Discover a world of unlimited possibilities and see how science fiction has inspired new ways for people experiencing disability to participate in the world.

This is an inclusive event where you can get up close and personal new human technologies. Explore how the power of your mind can extend your senses and mobility; see how 3D technology works to print your own ‘limbs’ at home; learn how inclusive design teams hack into objects; and help rethink the future at the Sci-Fi Maker Lab.

Then join an inspiring panel of artists, designers, and technologists to explore what emerging technology really means for people experience disability. Does it promote equity, or does it drive people apart?

This is a free event, however places for the panel discussion and film screenings are limited. Be sure to book early to get a seat.

1.00pm - 3.30pm Inspiration Stations (Interactive Expo)

See inspiring technologies and projects such as the the eye controlled music device by Psykinetic. Psykinetic was founded by internationally renowned biomedical engineer, Dr Jordan Nguyen who recently featured on Catalyst and was a speaker atTedxSydney.

This award winning documentary takes a close look at the drive to be “better than human”and the radical technological innovations that may take us there.

1.00pm - 2.00pm - Audio Description

2.15pm - 3.15pm - Captioned

3.30pm - 5.00pm Panel Discussion

*The Panel will be Auslan interpreted and captioned.

Inclusive design thinking is rapidly enhancing assistive technology, helping people experiencing disability participate in the world and even sometimes experience things that people without a disability can’t do. So who is disabled?

The Panelists include:

Naomi Malone: An experienced Disability Advocate in the field of disability inclusion across the arts and business, Naomi has managed mulitiple projects for Accessible Arts NSW and Westpac Group. Profoundly deaf, she is a graduate in arts and law from the University of Sydney and holds an MA in Public History from UTS.

Melanie Tran: Melanie is currently the Lead UX Designer atAbilityMate and is a Board Member at Leep NGO. She won the Young Achievers Award for her self-published poems and short stories and pursued The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to become the first person in the world with a neuromuscular condition to achieve the Bronze, Silver and Gold Award.

Vicki Sowry: Vicki is Director of the Australian Network for Art and Technology and has been recently delivering the artist residency program Unfixed. For over 25 years she has delivered programs for artists in partnership with industry and academia that often foray into concepts found in science fiction.

Peter Horsley: Peter is the Founder of Cerebal Palsy Alliance’s Technology Accelerator called Remarkable, supporting new startups as they create technology to advance the social and economic inclusion of people with a disability